Ringtone caller id

Abstract

A device provides a sender-selected notification. In one embodiment, upon an incoming message from the sender, the device provides a warning notification followed by the sender-selected notification. In one embodiment, the sender-selected notification is associated with a commercial offer. In one embodiment, the phone concurrently provides a visual display identifying the caller by name, the identification not requiring a user of the phone to associate a name with a phone number. In one embodiment, the phone allows for sender-selected notifications to be disabled for a caller.

1 . A device providing a sender-selected notification for the sender when the sender selects the sender-selected notification, wherein upon an incoming message from the sender the device provides a notification followed by the sender-selected notification. 
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the notification is a warning notification. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein a delay between the warning notification and the sender-selected notification is selectable at the device. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein in-between the warning notification and the sender-selected notification a normal notification is provided. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the notification is a normal notification. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device is a phone and the sender-selected notification is a reverse ringtone. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device allows a user to select which possible senders can provide a sender-selected notification. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device can allows for a user to select which possible senders need not have a warning notification before the sender-selected notification. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the sender-selected notification is associated with a commercial offer. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device allows for a user to select if sender-selected notifications are to be disabled for the sender. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device is part of an open sender selected notification system that defaults to allowing senders to provide the sender-selected notifications. 
     
     
         12 . A device providing a sender-selected notification for the sender when the sender selects the sender-selected notification, wherein upon an incoming message from the sender, the device provides the sender-selected notification and wherein the sender-selected notification is associated with a commercial offer. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the commercial offer is displayed along with the sender-selected notification. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 12  wherein the sender-selected notification is a commercial offer. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the device is a phone and the sender-selected notification is a reverse ringtone. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the device allows a user to select which possible senders can provide a sender-selected notification. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein upon an incoming message from the sender, the device provides a warning notification followed by the sender-selected notification. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the device allows for a user to select if sender-selected notifications are to be disabled for the sender. 
     
     
         19 . A phone providing a reverse ringtone when the sender selects the reverse ringtone for a call, the reverse ringtone being provided at the phone upon a call from the caller, wherein the phone concurrently provides a visual display identifying the caller by name, the identification not requiring a user of the phone to associate a name with a phone number. 
     
     
         20 . The phone of  claim 19 , wherein a reverse lookup is used to determine the identification. 
     
     
         21 . The phone of  claim 19 , wherein the reverse ringtone is analyzed to determine the identification. 
     
     
         22 . The phone of  claim 19 , wherein the device allows for a user to select if reverse ringtones are to be disabled for the caller. 
     
     
         23 . The phone of  claim 19 , wherein the device is part of an open system that defaults to allowing senders to provide the reverse ringtones. 
     
     
         24 . A phone providing a reverse ringtone when the sender selects the reverse ringtone for a call, the reverse ringtone being provided at the phone upon a call from the caller, wherein the phone allows for reverse ringtones to be disabled for that caller. 
     
     
         25 . The phone of  claim 24 , wherein the phone concurrently provides a visual display identifying the caller by name, the identification not requiring a user of the phone to associate a name with a phone number. 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein the phone is part of an open system that defaults to allowing senders to provide the reverse ringtones. 
     
     
         27 . A device providing a sender-selected notification for the sender when the sender selects the sender-selected notification, wherein upon an incoming message from the sender, the device provides the sender-selected notification and wherein the device is part of an open system that defaults to allowing senders to provide the sender-selected notifications. 
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 27  wherein the open system uses an app obtained from a phone-based app store. 
     
     
         29 . A sending device is used to select a sender-selected notification for a message at a receiving device, wherein the receiving device uses the sender-selected notification for the call and wherein the sending device uses the sender-selected notification for the message. 
     
     
         30 . The sending device of  claim 29 , wherein the sending phone provides a visual display of an identifier for the sender-selected notification. 
     
     
         31 . The sending device of  claim 29 , wherein the sender selected notification is used as the dial tone at the sending phone and as the ringtone at the receiving phone.